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ANNUAL REPORT 2008 / 2009

The Gibraltar Regulatory Authority has published its Annual Report for the year 2008 - 2009. The report was laid before Parliament yesterday by the Chief Minister, Peter Caruana.

The Gibraltar Regulatory Authority is assigned the duty of regulating the electronic communications sector in Gibraltar, acts as the Supervisory Authority for the enforcement of the Data Protection Act 2004 and as the Gambling Commissioner, amongst other things, liaises with and oversees all operations of licensees, in particular the regulation, supervision and enforcement of licence terms and relevant laws.

The Annual Report makes reference to several new important changes occurring during the reported year.

In order to end the shortage of telephone numbers which has affected Gibraltar for many years, and after finally breaking away from Spain's numbering plan, the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, with the approval of the Minister, introduced a new Gibraltar Numbering Plan in order to meet Gibraltar's need for numbers in the short, medium and long term. All 5-digit telephone numbers were extended to 8 digits, by adding 200 in front of the number. The whole change was spread over a period of about 18 months and the changeover was completed to coincide with the publication of the 2008/2009 Telephone Directory in September 2008.

This year has seen a surge in activity as regard data protection matters. With the Data Protection Act 2004 fully in force, the Data Protection Division of the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority has been able to concentrate on matters of greater importance. The Data Protection Division has carried out a number of awareness programmes and presentations throughout the year to companies and organisations, in order to create awareness of data protection issues. This year has also seen an increase in the level of activity both carried out by the Data Protection Division and in the level of enquiries being received. During the period under review, the Data Protection Division carried out 16 investigations and four inspections.

During 2008 the Minister approved the first code of practice for the Gibraltar gambling industry, the Generic Code, which was drafted by the Gambling Division and put to consultation with the industry. This is the primary code for the industry and its implementation and monitoring will continue throughout 2009 and beyond. This will include the introduction of cyclical Regulatory Returns and the formalisation of site and premises visits and the bespoke examination of local arrangements.

During the year, the GRA has participated in some international events covering various aspects of the industries and sectors that it regulates and has been able to exchange views with other Regulators.

The Annual report also deals with the activities of the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority in general, and provides information and statistics in relation to the different regulatory divisions within the Authority.